Star Wars with occasional sarcasm

Category Archives: books and comics

It’s apparently Rebels week in releaseland, as we have the paperback edition of John Jackson Miller’s A New Dawn out on Tuesday. The hardcover dropped back before the show had even aired, so I expect the story of how Hera and Kanan met will find more of an audience now. James liked it! And hey, it’s John Jackson Miller, hard to go wrong there.

For those already all in on Rebels lit, Marvel launches their fourth Star Wars title Wednesday with Kanan: The Last Padawan #1. It’s also a Rebels prequel, and Marvel’s first foray into the prequel era. StarWars.com has a five-page preview.

This one has been floating around for a bit, but if you look at the timeline in the upcoming novel releases, (see the previews for Lords of the Sith or the A New Dawn paperback) you’ll see a list of much of the canon content thus far. (Basically, everything save the comics.) Included on this list? Battlefront. We know a new Star Wars Battlefront game is coming, but a timeline placement for it between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back seems odd, seeing as we’ve heard that the game itself will cover several eras. (With much of the publicity art so far devoted to the Battle of Hoth from Empire.)

But it would make sense if this is actually a Battlefront novel tie-in that covers only one portion of the game. Jedi Bibliothek (translated) thinks this book may be Untitled Novel #24, which is set for November 3, 2015. It also features a bio for Steve Perry, but as usual, that is neither here nor there at this point.

We had feared (or hoped, in some cases) that #24 would be The Force Awakens novelization, but that is looking increasingly unlikely.

Since it’s the weekend, I thought I’d do some low-grade pimping. A couple years ago, I wrote a beginners guide to Star Wars novels on my personal blog, and I recently updated and overhauled it to reflect the current status of the older novels. (For the record, I still don’t mind.)

At the time, I figured if you were reading Club Jade, you weren’t a beginner, but it seems that since then, we’ve picked up some new readers. In any case, if you have any curiosity about what to read in Legends, these are my recommendations, and they are deliberately few. Maybe one day I’ll be able to do this for the canon novels…

Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Jordan at Cinelinx has followed up his earlier report about the live action series, and in it he gives the name of the book character who may cross over… Moff Delian Mors, the Lords of the Sith character who’s already made waves by being the first canon LGBT charater.

While I applaud the addition of a LGBT character to canon, I’m still not sure if I’m going to even be able to read the book itself. I’ve bounced off Paul Kemp’s Star Wars stuff in the past, and I don’t find that his behavior makes me want to try again. Nor do I find this (possible) timeline placement for the (potential) show particularly encouraging, either. But as always, we’ll just have to see how things turn out.

Over the last week, we finally got our first look at Del Rey’s first post-ROTJ novel in the new canon – and a brand new, very Twitter-savvy author to go with it. We also swooned over Oscar Isaac pictures, planned for Celebration (#SWCA is the official hashtag, if that matters to you) and partook of some delicious fanboy tears. Onward!

Jedi Bibliothek spotted an extended blurb for Christie Golden’s Dark Disciple at Random House. The Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos story is based on unproduced scripts from The Clone Wars

The only way to bring down the dark side’s most dangerous warrior may be for Jedi and Sith to join forces.

In the war for control of the galaxy between the armies of the dark side and the Republic, former Jedi Master turned ruthless Sith Lord Count Dooku has grown ever more brutal in his tactics. Despite the powers of the Jedi and the military prowess of their clone army, the sheer number of fatalities is taking a terrible toll. And when Dooku orders the massacre of a flotilla of helpless refugees, the Jedi Council feels it has no choice but to take drastic action: targeting the man responsible for so many war atrocities, Count Dooku himself.

But the ever-elusive Dooku is dangerous prey for even the most skilled hunter. So the Council makes the bold decision to bring both sides of the Force’s power to bear—pairing brash Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos with infamous one-time Sith acolyte Asajj Ventress. Though Jedi distrust for the cunning killer who once served at Dooku’s side still runs deep, Ventress’s hatred for her former master runs deeper. She’s more than willing to lend her copious talents as a bounty hunter—and assassin—to Vos’s quest.

Together, Ventress and Vos are the best hope for eliminating Dooku—as long as the emerging feelings between them don’t compromise their mission. But Ventress is determined to have her retribution and at last let go of her dark Sith past. Balancing the complicated emotions she feels for Vos with the fury of her warrior’s spirit, she resolves to claim victory on all fronts—a vow that will be mercilessly tested by her deadly enemy . . . and her own doubt.

Well, that’s an unexpected turn for this book. (…Or is it?) Hopefully Golden’s take romance here is less winceworthy here than what we saw in Fate of the Jedi…

Editor Jennifer Heddle introduces officially introduces Aftermath and author Chuck Wendig at StarWars.com today. She reveals for the first time that the book is first of a trilogy that “that begins to bridge the Star Wars timeline between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens:”

Obviously I wish I could tell you more about the story, but I can’t just yet. What I can reveal is that you will be introduced to a sweeping new cast of characters, along with a fan favorite from the films. And who knows what other familiar faces will pop up along the way? And once you’ve seen The Force Awakens in movie theaters, you may find that certain names and places in Aftermath have a relevance you never knew–so keep your eyes wide open!

Will Wendig write the next two books in this trilogy? (We have reason to suspect they won’t be coming before TFA… But who knows?) Hopefully we’ll find out soon. Aftermath is due out September 4.